According to reports from the Associated Press, the gunman killed a woman at his residence, then went to the school. The AP on Friday reported 28 people in all were dead, including the gunman, who took his own life.

"We are deeply saddened by this morning's school shooting in Connecticut," said Ridgecrest Charter School Director Tina Ellingsworth. "According to the (California Department of Education), it is critical to monitor the exposure that children have to television and radio at this time. Exposure to the news about this mass shooting may lead to anxiety and fear in children and youth."

She said the school is sending Tips for Parents compiled from www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/cp/tragedy.asp home electronically through its In-Touch parent-notification system.

Ellingsworth said the California Department of Education's Coping with Tragedy website includes links to articles on talking to kids about violence and helping children deal with tragic events, and the National Association of School Psychologists is also a great resource. The web site is www.nasponline.org/.

"Today, communities are faced with increased acts of mass violence, reminding us that no organization is immune," she said. "This tragedy serves as a reminder that communities must band together to protect our children from random acts of violence."

Sierra Sands Unified School District Superintendent Joanna Rummer said the shooting was devastating and tragic.

"Our hearts go out to the families of the children and employees who were lost," she said.

Rummer said she was in communication with the district management team all morning to make sure there was heightened awareness.

"We're reviewing our plans and procedures in the event of a tragic situation that we hope to avoid," she said. "We do monthly drills including fire drills and procedural drills."

She said the schools sporadically address lockdowns, and each school has a safety plan in place to address this type of event.

"Everyone is devastated by this event," Rummer said. "We love our children, and we work very hard to protect them. These kinds of events are always so tragic."

Trona Joint Unified School District Superintendent and High School Principal David Olney called the shooting horrible.

"Words can't express how you feel when you see something like that occur," he said. "What it does is cause us to pause and reflect and make sure that we're doing everything we possibly can to take care of our kids."

He said the district regularly conducts drills and is in the process of updating the safety plan.

Page 2 of 3 - "We make sure that in our safety plan we not only have the drills such as earthquake drills and fire drills, we also have code red drills and making sure that we have a process in place for the kids to practice," Olney said.

Burroughs High School Principal Dave Ostash said the shootings were horrific.

"It's everybody's worst nightmare," he said.

Ostash said the school conducts two drills, which included practice of its lockdown procedures.

"We have a specific procedure, and we practice that with everybody," he said. "Any time a student feels emotional about anything, they know they can always approach our guidance department and our administrators."

"It's a tragic incident, and I'm glad we take extra precautions to keep our kids safe," said Gateway Elementary School Principal Lisa Decker.

She said no assemblies are planned.

"I would expect parents to discuss this with their children," she said. "We do evacuation drills. We do lockdown drills. That's part of our safety plan to do those regularly."

Inyokern Elementary School Principal Bonnie Kauffman said it is sad and shocking that it happened on an elementary-school campus.

"We do a safety drill every month," she said. "We had one lockdown drill already. We are planning a second lockdown drill for January. We are working on the drills, and the kids are doing a fabulous job of listening to their teachers and following directions."

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Ernie Bell, who serves on the district safety committee, said this was the worst tragedy he ever heard of.

"It's a terrible, terrible thing to have happen to any community, any school anywhere in the world," he said. "It's just devastating. It just makes me sick to my stomach."

He said all school sites have procedures in place for emergencies.

"We have evacuation procedures. We have lockdown procedures and procedures in place for anyone who is unidentified who comes onto the property," Bell said. "We have board policies. People are supposed to be checking in. We practice those things on a regular basis."

He said the committee met Thursday and discussed the procedures.

Immanuel Christian School Principal Scott Johnson also called the shootings tragic.

"Our thoughts and prayers definitely go out to the school and the staff as they deal with the tragedy, and especially with the families that lost loved ones," he said.

He said the school has been working on disaster plans, and will be working on lockdown plans.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the educators, students, and families from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn.," Pierce Elementary School Principal Pam Barnes said. "Events like this certainly heighten the awareness of everyone at Pierce and in the Sierra Sands District in our efforts to provide a safe environment for our students and staff. We have districtwide practices and procedures in place to prepare and respond to emergency situations including lockdowns."